Why are the shrimp swimming up and down the water column?

[Tacocat]

(journal on it: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/5-gallon-fluval-spec-v.472852/)
I have a 5 gallon fish tank with 2 guppies, 2 dwarf rasboras, 1 cardinal that I was misled to buy, 6 cherries, 3 assassin snails, 1 ramshorn and a bunch of baby rams horns that the assassins are killing. I noticed yesterday that the biggest shrimp was swimming up to the top and then to plants, then rest, then repeat. I then noticed a second one doing this, but after the first had stopped. Then, a male did it a few times and stopped, never doing it at the same time as others. Now, I noticed a smaller female just did it. Anyone know why they are doing it? Is it because of bad water or is it the mating behaviour?

Thanks!

 

[Dephea]

Did you test your water? I'd start with that and post the results here

 

[Slaphppy7]

Usually, after breeding-age females molt, they emit pheromones that indicate they are ready to breed...it sends the males into a breeding frenzy, and they'll swim all over the tank, like you describe...females will do it too, but not as often and prolifically as the males

 

[Tacocat]

I forgot to mention that none of the other fish are reacting, and there are no signs of high ammonia by the fish or nitrite or nitrate

 

[Slaphppy7]

I forgot to mention that none of the other fish are reacting, and there are no signs of high ammonia by the fish or nitrite or nitrate

Won't hurt to test the water, anyway...

 

[Tacocat]

Won't hurt to test the water, anyway...

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 5 ppm

Should I water change?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 5 ppm

Should I water change?

Yes, any time ammonia is present, daily, until the tank is cycled

 

[Tacocat]

Yes, any time ammonia is present, daily, until the tank is cycled

I noticed the 7 day no ammonia/nitrite a week ago.
Should I do it anyway?

 

[Essjay]

Yes. Whenever there is ammonia (or nitrite) above zero, do a water change.

And whenever the tank occupants - fish, shrimps or snails - behave differently from usual, test the water.


When a female shrimp is ready to breed, the males pick up her pheromones and go looking for her. They swim all over the tank looking like a swarm of shrimpy bees. Is that what your shrimps are doing?

 

[Tacocat]

Yes. Whenever there is ammonia (or nitrite) above zero, do a water change.

And whenever the tank occupants - fish, shrimps or snails - behave differently from usual, test the water.


When a female shrimp is ready to breed, the males pick up her pheromones and go looking for her. They swim all over the tank looking like a swarm of shrimpy bees. Is that what your shrimps are doing?

Yes, except I only saw 1 male doing so, and 2 females doing it. They never did it at the same time though, and the test results were not drastic. Should I test ph as well?

 

[Essjay]

It is worth testing everything if fish etc start behaving unusually.

 

[Tacocat]

It is worth testing everything if fish etc start behaving unusually.

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 5 ppm

Should I water change?

I did

I think I might have to water change then, also there's a lot of guppy poop that looks suspiciously like bloodworms that are sticking out of the ground, so I think I'll do it to clean up too.

 

[Essjay]

Cleaning the bottom of the tank during a water change is important as well. Any food - flakes, bloodworm etc - will just rot and make the water bad. If I remember correctly, in another thread you mentioned that you'd overfed frozen bloodworm? If that was you (and not just my memory playing tricks) then there may well be bloodworm on the bottom of the tank.

 

[Tacocat]

Cleaning the bottom of the tank during a water change is important as well. Any food - flakes, bloodworm etc - will just rot and make the water bad. If I remember correctly, in another thread you mentioned that you'd overfed frozen bloodworm? If that was you (and not just my memory playing tricks) then there may well be bloodworm on the bottom of the tank.

I have, but by the time I got to it, the shrimp and assassins already got to it, and I only ended up cleaning up a bit of the food

Also I performed the WC and everyone was good.